Minutes - 04-11-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROVED 6/19/2001 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION April 11, 2001 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Wednesday, April 11, 2001 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Stephen H. Halkiotis and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Alice M. Gordon and Barry Jacobs COUNTY COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr. COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below} NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. ALL RECORDINGS OF THE MEETING WILL BE KEPT FOR 1 YEAR. 1. GIS PRESENTATION OF DRAFT LANDS LEGACY "LONG TERM PRIORITIES FOR 2002- 2010" Environment and Resource Conservation Director David Stancil made this presentation. This has been a very successful first year in that the County has completed the McGowan Creek Preserve (the 63-acre preserve of former Duke Forest land} the Little River Regional Park and Natural Area with Durham County, Triangle Land Conservancy, and Eno River Association; and the first agricultural conservation easement with the Walters Family. He gave some background on the current annual action plan. He said that he recognizes that the annual action plan for next year will have limited funds available at the County and State level. The five primary focus areas of the Lands Legacy program are listed below: • natural areas and wildlife habitat • farmland preservation • parklands and open space • cultural and archaeological resources, and • watershed riparian buffers He showed some of the priority areas on a GIS map. There have been 4,500 acres of land in Orange County identified as significant natural areas that do not have any type of protection at this time. He pointed out that the 250t" anniversary of Orange County is next year, 2002, and that it is thought that the first County seat was contiguous with the Seven Mile Creek Preserve. This will be researched further. Commissioner Brawn asked about the historic preservation of houses and the cooperative efforts with the Towns. David Stancil said that there has not been much cooperative effort between the different towns. There is a need to bring the different jurisdictions together on historic preservation. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Greene Tract and how it fit into all of this. David Stancil said that he had not incorporated the Greene Tract into this document pending further discussion. Chair Halkiotis made reference to the goal of acquiring 500 acres of farmland per year from 2006-2010. He said that the challenge would be to put together a successful community outreach program. The community outreach program should be crafted very carefully sa that the citizens do not think that the County is telling them what to do. Commissioner Gordan commended David Stancil and his staff on the development of this plan.